PDF Estimated Time To Read This: 2 – 4 minutes
It’s important for companies to understand generational differences in today’s working environment. After all, the person sitting next to you could be old enough to be your mother or young enough to be your daughter. I think this understanding not only helps the overall company, but the employees within individual work units or departments.
So you’ve probably heard of Gen X, Baby Boomers or Millennials. What do they all mean, and which generation do you belong to? I know it can feel compartmentalized to be lumped in to one category; but for me, my generation rings true to my work habits and ethics. How about you?
The Baby Boomers
- Born between 1946-1964
- Dedicated work ethic likely passed down from their parents
- Have the mindset that you have to work hard to be successful in life
- Will work as long as it takes to get the job done
- Baby Boomers are competitive but loyal to their employers
- While this generation respects authority, they also expect it
- Their tireless work ethic has taken a toll on personal and family life — their 5:00 pm never ends
Generation X
- Born between 1965-1981
- This generation comprises the children of workaholic, Boomer parents
- While Gen-Xers acknowledge that work is a big part of who they are and what they do, they are able to set limits and generally have a good work-life balance
- This generation is more dedicated to their personal career rather than their employer or one company; they are always looking for the next best opportunity
Generation Y (Millennials)
- Born between 1982-1995
- These individuals want to work for employers who are going to help them develop as professionals
- Millennials have the attitude of “what can you do for me?”, a me-centric generation
- They are very technological savvy, well-educated and culturally liberal; this generation grew up with computers and instant communication like texting and IMing
- They have extremely high expectations with minimal to no experience, and will question everything
- Gen-Yers are very concerned about the environment and its impact on the present and future generations
I’m sure if you look around your workplace, each of these demographics is represented. And what an opportunity to be able to learn from each generation, as they all add value and bring a different perspective to the workplace.
The trick to working with all three groups is to leverage everyone’s talents and experiences. If a situation arises when perhaps you don’t see eye-to-eye with someone in your workplace, try taking a look at their generation and its workplace characteristics, relate to them on a different level. You may be surprised what you learn, and how you can use that knowledge to help improve your working relationship.
Overall company success is about leveraging skills, ideas, and experience… of all three generations!
